


Just Admiring

by ThatOneAwkwardFangirl_Liz_Cecil



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Deaf Aone Takanobu, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Nonbinary Kozume Kenma, Rare Pairings, Sign Language, THEYRE SO CUTE, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, ahhhhh, aohina, bless them, even if theyre barely in it i thought id mention, hinata is so pure, i cant believe these kids are a rare pair, i would die for aone, otherwise we're talking about wholesome fluff, rated t for kageyama's potty mouth, theyre both angels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 15:40:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17645615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOneAwkwardFangirl_Liz_Cecil/pseuds/ThatOneAwkwardFangirl_Liz_Cecil
Summary: Hinata and Aone go on their first date, and it's really cuteDon't mind me, out here writing my fav rare pair for the first time and being hecka nervous about it!





	Just Admiring

**Author's Note:**

> Any sign referenced is ASL, doing my best to remember what I know and also did plenty of internet searches to verify, but yeah. That's just, what I'm familiar with. Anyways. I really hope you enjoy this fluffy little read

Shouyou was buzzing with nerves.

But like! In a good way! Totally in a good way. He just wasn’t sure if his hair looked stupid or if his shirt was ironed well enough or if his socks were actually the same shade of black.

Would Aone notice if his socks were mismatched? Would he care? What if he saw the two slightly different shades of black and decided Shouyou must be stupid and never speaks to him again and they never go on another date and it’s all because the light is really bad in his apartment and-

“Shouyou.” Kenma sat on his bed, looking at him with concern. “Why are you glaring at your reflection like it’s Tobio?”

He whined and turned to face them. “I’m so nervous.”

“Nervous of _what_?” they prompted. “Your date with Takanobu?”

He nodded, falling face first onto the bed. “What if I do something stupid? Oh!” He sat up and pulled his feet onto the bed. “Are these socks the same shade of black?!”

Kenma looked at him a bit incredulously. “Um…yes. Are you meaning to tell me that’s what this is about?”

“No! I mean, kind of?”

“Shouyou, he’s not even going to see your socks,” Kenma reminded him. “Well, unless…” They shuddered. “Don’t tell me about anything like that, though.”

He felt his face go red enough to match his hair. “Kenma!”

“I hear enough about it from Kuro and Koutarou.”

“ _Ew_.”

“Ew, indeed.” They gagged, and then the look of concern returned. “Are you nervous of forgetting your signs?”

Shouyou’s fingers twitched, and he nodded. “I get so excited sometimes that I barely even remember Japanese, much less a whole other _language_.”

“You speak in sign with him all the time in class,” Kenma soothed. “Do you want to practice normal date words?”

Shouyou nodded graciously. “Thank you, Kenma!”

Kenma switched into sign. “How would you tell him he looks nice?”

“You can’t ask me questions like that in sign, it gives it away,” Shouyou pointed out. “But, like, you look really nice.”

“You look nice too.”

Kenma continued the conversation, more fluently than Shouyou felt he could manage. It was unfair. Shouyou was in a class and a club, and he still seemed to forget most of the words (again, not unlike his Japanese). He knew how to talk about food, though, so when they threw curveballs like those at him, he knew how to respond.

After fifteen minutes, Shouyou’s bedroom door opened. Kageyama looked in and raised an eyebrow. Shouyou waved.

“Are we quizzing the dumbass so that he doesn’t fuck up on his date?” Kageyama asked Kenma. It would have made him look fluent, but Shouyou knew that Kageyama only really took time to learn swear words and volleyball terminology.

“He’s doing very well,” they replied. “And he needs encouragement, Tobio.”

Kageyama huffed, joining the two of them on the bed. “Well, I’ll do what I can to help.”

“I don’t think I’ll be needing to know any swear words for tonight,” Shouyou replied. “But thanks anyways!”

“Dumbass! I know more than just swear words!”

“ _Do_ you, though?”

“Obviously!”

“But it’s mostly baby sign. You know it as well as I do.”

“How is that worse than you?” Kageyama asked, wrists flicking sharply with indignance.

“I’m in a class!” Shouyou reminded him with tense gestures.

“I’m getting a headache just imagining the yelling,” Kenma said, rolling their eyes. “But why can’t you always fight like this? The apartment would be so much quieter?”

“Because when Kageyama-kun kicks me, I scream. That’s how pain works.”

“Focus, Shouyou.” Kenma waved their hand in front of his face. “What’s the most important phrase you’ve learned _just_ for tonight?”

“Can I please kiss you,” Shouyou said shyly, not making eye contact with either of them.

Kenma beamed. Kageyama gagged. It was what he expected.

 

Takanobu was just about ready to leave when his roommates came home.

He didn’t mind their company, most times, but he braced himself. Their coming home meant that he was going to have to prepare himself to answer a hundred questions about where he was going, with who, and what they were doing together. He rolled his wrists.

Moniwa lit up when he saw Takanobu. “Aone! You going somewhere?”

“Yes.”

Futakuchi raised an eyebrow. “On a Friday night? Really? You?”

“Don’t look so surprised, Kenji,” Moniwa scolded with sharp gestures. “Where are you going?”

“Dinner.”

“With who?!” Moniwa looked like he was going to bubble over with excitement.

It wasn’t like Takanobu didn’t know _why_. He knew that he never went out. They could at least pretend not to be so shocked.

“Hinata Shouyou.” He took the time to spell out Hinata’s full name, just so there would be no misunderstanding.

Futakuchi looked unimpressed. “The bubbly kid from JSL club?”

“He’s also in Anatomy with Aone,” Moniwa replied, trying to distract them both from a rising argument.

Takanobu knew that Futakuchi found Hinata irritating and far too bubbly. That didn’t matter, though, because Takanobu liked his enthusiasm. It was cute.

Despite Moniwa’s efforts, Futakuchi still said, with irritated flicks to punctuate each word, “Still kind of annoying if you ask me.”

“It’s a date,” Takanobu replied firmly.

“Idiot, I told you not to insult Hinata-kun, especially not in front of Aone,” Moniwa scolded.

“I wasn’t insulting him!” Futakuchi protested quickly. “No, he’s fine! He’s just so loud!”

“I wouldn’t know,” Takanobu pointed out, stepping towards the door.

“The way he signs! His gestures are so big, and he moves way faster than he should for his skill level, and he misspeaks all the time,” Futakuchi argued. “When you thanked him last week and he said ‘you’re welcome’ he accidentally told you he was pregnant.”

Takanobu almost smiled. “It was an accident. It was cute.”

“That’s a very big accident to make,” Moniwa said, visibly shaking from withheld laughter. “Maybe the little sunshine really is pregnant.”

Futakuchi gasped. “You must be the father.”

“I’m leaving,” Takanobu informed them both, pushing for the door.

They both started tapping his shoulders and back, but he refused to turn to see what they were saying. He just wanted this date to go well.

 

The sign bickering had escalated to a full-blown shouting match between Shouyou and Kageyama, which was to have been expected. Shouyou was far too distracted to hear the gentle knock on the door, but he heard it open, and he froze.

His hand was still on Kageyama’s face, and Kageyama was still gripping his shirt collar like he was going to throw him or something. _Not a good start._

“Hello, Takanobu,” Kenma greeted.

Takanobu, still in the doorway, was positively amused. “Hi, Kenma. Hi, Hinata.”

Hinata felt his face flush red. This was the worst thing that could have ever happened to him. He took his hand away from Kageyama and offered a wave. Kageyama oh-so-kindly let go of his shirt and let him fall to the floor.

“Ack! Kageyama- _kun_!” he whined.

Kenma offered him a hand and helped him back to his feet.

“Thanks, Kenma,” Shouyou muttered, signing as he spoke. “Hi, Aone,” he said finally, trying to smile. He was so embarrassed, and he was sure that Aone would change his mind about the date.

Instead, Takanobu offered a soft smile. It mostly existed in his eyes, and Shouyou almost missed it, but it was there.

“For you.” Takanobu held out a bouquet of bright orange roses.

Shouyou squealed in surprise. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He jumped. “Thank you so much! They’re lovely!”

“I can put them in a vase for you, Shouyou,” Kenma offered.

Shouyou nodded, and they left him alone with the two men in the entry of the apartment.

“Hi, Kageyama-kun,” Takanobu said, nodding to the other.

“Hi, Aone-san,” Kageyama replied. “Sorry that you had to see that fight. I promise I didn’t actually plan on killing him before your date.” He smirked at Shouyou before adding, “Though let me know if you have a bad time; I can kill him to spare you from a second.”

“I’m sure that I’ll enjoy the date,” Takanobu replied, “but thank you.”

Shouyou felt him blush harder at the confidence. His brain started shutting down, and he reverted back to what he had practiced with Kenma. “You look really nice!”

“Thank you. You look nice as well.” After a beat, “The flowers made me think of you.”

“Because they’re bright orange?” Shouyou asked. Takanobu nodded, and Shouyou grinned. “I love that! Thank you!”

“They only look like your hair, though,” Kageyama noted. “Because the flowers are so pretty, and you’re so ugly.”

Shouyou flamed. “That’s enough of you! Goodbye, Tobio! Goodbye, Kenma! I hate you, Tobio! I love you, Kenma!” He grabbed Takanobu’s arm. “Let’s go!”

 

The February air was chilly – just chilly enough for Shouyou to justify walking as close as humanly possible to Takanobu for the warmth. Takanobu didn’t mind. He wanted to hold Shouyou’s hand, but Shouyou had already looped their arms so that he can continue talking with both hands.

_Cute._

“I just can’t believe some of the requirements for a degree in sports education!” he was saying. “Like, I kind of thought I could just take gym and stuff? I am not prepared to be a teacher or a coach!”

“I think you’re going to be great,” Takanobu assured him. “Can I hold your hand?”

Shouyou jolted at the question. He wondered if he was being too loud, even without speaking aloud. Was this Takanobu’s way of asking him to stop talking for a bit?

“You can sign with one hand. It’s not as hard as you think,” Takanobu explained. Shouyou nodded, eagerly fitting their hands together.

“Okay! Okay! I got this!” He wiggled the fingers of his free hand like he was hovering over a keyboard before jumping back into what he was saying. “I get to do student teaching next semester, though, so maybe I’m more ready than I think!”

“That’s exciting.”

 

Shouyou continued his chattering until they arrived at the restaurant. The hostess quickly picked up on the use of sign and asked if it was just the two of them.

Shouyou knew of plenty of accommodating places in the area thanks to JSL club outings, so he made sure to pick the fanciest one he could find – um, find and afford, that was. He was still a poor college kid, after all! He hoped that Aone was satisfied with it.

He glanced over the menu across the table at him. Most people found Aone difficult to read, but in the past few months, Shouyou had decided they just weren’t trying hard enough. It was clear that he was nervous but happy, and that made Shouyou happy.

Takanobu felt him staring and set down the menu. “Did you say something?”

Shouyou shook his head. “No, no! I was just…admiring.”

A faint blush spread across Takanobu’s cheeks. “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure what else he should say.

“Sorry! I made it weird, didn’t I? I don’t go on a lot of dates and I really don’t know how to filter my thoughts and honestly sometimes-”

“You don’t have to filter your thoughts,” Takanobu interrupted. It sort of broke his heart that Hinata apologized for rambling or even for saying what was on his mind. That usually meant that someone told him once that no one cared, or something. Takanobu wanted to get it all.

“Sorry,” Shouyou said once more. “Do you want to get an appetizer?”

They went on chatting about the food until they ordered. Then, it was back to talking about life.

“Hinata, can I ask you something?”

Shouyou tilted his head in curiosity. “Yes!”

“Why are you taking JSL if it’s not a part of your required courses?”

“Hm…” Shouyou tried to remember how to say what he wants to. “I want to be able to talk to any of my students, in the future. And…I don’t want anyone to feel like anything should get in the way of doing fun things! Especially when there’s no reason for it to! Sign actually is really useful for volleyball, and I think that using it in lessons would maybe make it more…” He frowned and tapped his forehead. He knows this one… “Accessible!”

Takanobu watched him with fondness. It was just like Hinata to want to include as many people as possible when it came to his favorite things.

Shouyou blinked, suddenly nervous he messed up something. “Did I say all that right?”

“Yes.” Takanobu blinked. “Sorry. I think that’s nice. Most people who want to be teachers don’t think about that stuff.”

“It’s no different from learning English for any exchange students,” Shouyou replied shyly.

“It’s nice,” Takanobu repeated.

Before Shouyou could collect his thoughts and reply, the food arrived. “Ooh!”

Talking was replaced by content existence as they ate. Watching Shouyou talk was nice. This was nice, too.

 

When they left the restaurant, Shouyou grabbed Takanobu’s hand like it was normal now. It surprised Takanobu at first, but as Shouyou settled back into comfortable conversation, he just squeezed his hand and relished the contact.

“I think I’m getting good at signing with one hand!” Shouyou boasted. “Can you walk me to my JSL class Monday? Hold my hand and then I’ll talk to you and I bet my teacher will be so impressed!”

Takanobu breathed a tiny laugh and nodded. “I can do that.”

“Hooray!” Shouyou leaned in closer and grabbed Takanobu’s arm with his free hand for a moment, just to be closer to him. Then, he let go with that hand and resumed talking. “So, why are you majoring in literature?”

“I want to be a literature teacher. Also, I like to read.” When Shouyou just looked up expectantly, Takanobu continued, “I…had a teacher who helped me a lot. She was patient.”

He wondered if he should say more, but Hinata was already responding. “Oh! That’s amazing. I love good teachers like that. They’re the best kind of inspiration to go into teaching, I think! Because they impact you and you just know you can impact kids too!”

Takanobu nodded. “Yes.”

Suddenly, Shouyou stopped walking. “Aone.”

“What?”

“Do you want to do something more before we head back?” Shouyou chewed his lip nervously. He wasn’t all that well-versed in how a first date was meant to go. Were you only supposed to do one thing? Or did you do as many things as you could as long as you were enjoying each other?

What was he meant to do?

“Yes.” Takanobu was glad he asked, because he didn’t think he was ready to go home yet.

“What do you want to do?”

Takanobu blinked. He really hadn’t expected Hinata to want to do anything more than dinner. “I’m not sure.”

Shouyou scrunched up his face in thought as he ran through some possibilities. “We could just go for coffee,” he decided. After all, what he wanted was to spend more time talking. He didn’t want to do anything that kept him from being able to do so.

 

Takanobu wasn’t sure that he’d ever gone on a first date that went so well.

Not that it was over yet, he reminded himself as Hinata continued talking away, all his signs excited and grand, just like his personality. It was so endearing; how could Futakuchi possibly think that this was annoying.

“You went to the same high school as Moniwa-san, right?” Shouyou remembered suddenly. “Your roommate?”

Aone nodded. “He was one year ahead of me, but yes.”

“Isn’t it so cool how some of the people we met in school come with us through the rest of our lives?” Shouyou smiled softly. “Gwah!” He knew Aone didn’t hear the _gwah!_ , but they’d spent enough time together that he was pretty sure Aone knew he made a lot of pointless exclamations. “Like, Tobio! And Kenma. Or Moniwa for you. It’s just so nice.”

“It’s nice every time you meet someone who will go with you through the rest of life,” Takanobu supposed.

The soft smile turned into a beam of light. “Yes! It is. Oh!” Shouyou’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “Sorry, sorry, one second!”

 

**[From: Bakageyama]**

>if ur not home by 11 im locking u out and u can either sleep in the hallway or with aone

 

**[From: Bakageyama]**

>ken is backing me up on this one, they said they’ll follow thru w/ it

 

Shouyou shoved his phone away, blushing furiously. He noticed then that Aone was looking at him.

“Sorry! Did you say something?” he asked.

Takanobu smiled. Well, his eyes smiled, but to Shouyou, that was basically a full grin. “Just…admiring.”

Shouyou became even more red. He let out a squeak, which was embarrassing, and he was so glad that Aone couldn’t hear it. Given the look of amusement on his face, though, Shouyou could tell that he still had an inkling of the noise he’d made.

_Agh!_ “Thank you!” He picked up his phone again, fidgeting for a second, then set it back down. “Tobio texted me. He said if I’m not home by eleven, he’s locking me out.”

Takanobu frowned. “Didn’t you bring your keys?”

Shouyou was a full tomato now. “No. If they’re both home, I usually don’t…”

“I’ll have you home by eleven, then,” Takanobu promised.

_So direct and to the point. So cute. Gwah!_

Shouyou met Takanobu at the JSL club, but he’d…honestly known who he was for a little longer than that. At first, he was the scary guy on campus. But then…

Then, he was the big, tough looking guy leaning down to pet a stray cat who’d rubbed up against his leg. Shouyou melted. He always liked big guys who were actually soft. It destroyed his fragile little heart in all the best ways.

Moniwa, the TA in his JSL class, had noticed him gawking and explained who he was. He also added that, like Moniwa, Aone was deaf, so Shouyou would need to use the sign he’d been learning if he planned on talking to him.

_“I’m not even looking at him,”_ Shouyou had lied.

_“I’m deaf, not blind,”_ Moniwa replied evenly. _“If you come to JSL club, you can meet him properly. Or I can introduce you. We’re roommates.”_

_“I’m not staring,”_ he begged.

_“No, no. Of course you’re not.”_

Shouyou had totally been staring, but hey, six months of conversation later, and look where it had gotten him!

He wanted to share this with him. Was that first date material? Well…maybe the rules were different when you were dating a friend as opposed to a stranger.

“Did I ever tell you about how I first saw you?” Shouyou asked.

Takanobu was confused. He was pretty sure he already knew this. They’d met at JSL club, and Shouyou started talking to him. It wasn’t surprising; a lot of kids taking any sign classes did, because it helped them figure out how to communicate effectively without the temptation to start talking aloud. “No.”

“You – you were petting a cat on your way between buildings on campus,” he explained, his blush returning. “I thought – I thought it was so cute! The way you looked so big and tough and scary, but you were petting this soft little thing so delicately.”

It was Takanobu’s turn to blush. He supposed he didn’t know this story. “I didn’t know.”

Shouyou nodded. “Moniwa – Moniwa caught me staring.” He hid his face in his hands with shame, peeking between his fingers to see Aone’s response.

It was just a tiny exhale that was Aone for laughter. “He brought you to club.”

“Yes.”

“That’s why you talked to me.”

“Is that bad?” Shouyou fretted.

“No,” Takanobu assured him. “It’s nice.”

 

As Takanobu walked Shouyou home, they fell into another comfortable coexistence. Shouyou had run out of things to say – amazing, honestly, since that never happened – so he laced his fingers with Aone’s and grabbed his arm with is free hand. Takanobu didn’t seem to mind the added touch, so Shouyou leaned his head against him as well.

It was nice.

Takanobu was surprised that Hinata didn’t have anything to say, but he didn’t mind it, either. Not that he didn’t love what Hinata had to say! It was just nice to see they could exist together without someone feeling the need to fill the gaps between conversation.

He thinks that was what had always failed on previous dates. People who were hearing tended to find the silence uncomfortable, and people who were deaf didn’t understand why he didn’t actively engage in conversation. He _did_ , in his way. He just wasn’t very expressive, and he didn’t use many words.

Hinata saw that, and yet, he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to read Takanobu better than most people, other than Moniwa and (sometimes) Futakuchi. Though…it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Am I not expressive enough?”

His sudden movements made Shouyou jump. “I’m sorry, can you please repeat that?” He hadn’t been expecting the silence to be broken.

Takanobu repeated his question.

Shouyou frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand. You’re very expressive – just in small ways. Like, if I look at your eyes, I can see what you’re feeling. It might not be all big and loud like me, but it’s _there_. And sometimes your mouth smiles too. And you huff a little laugh when something’s amusing. And you _always_ blush when you get embarrassed! So cute.”

As if to prove a point, Takanobu blushed. “You don’t mind that I don’t say much?”

Shouyou waved his hand dismissively. “No way! As long as you don’t mind I talk enough for three people?”

Takanobu shook his head. “I like that.”

“Well, then, that’s settled. Just in time! We’re at my building.” Shouyou punched in his code to get into the apartment building before leading the way to the elevator. Then, he realized what this meant.

_Oh. Oh no._

He really wanted Aone to kiss him, and that didn’t surprise him. He’d been learning how to ask for a week, and now that the time had come, he wasn’t sure it was right. What if the google searches steered him wrong? What if he put the words in the wrong order? What if he miscommunicated? What if he accidentally asked him something perverted? What if-?

“Are you okay?” Takanobu asked. Panic and a frown had been growing on Hinata’s face, and it was making him nervous. Had he done something?

“Yes!” Shouyou replied, possibly too quickly and sharply. “I’m alright.”

When they were in front of his apartment door, he started running through the signs in his head. _Please._ Circle with an open hand over his chest. _You._ Simple. Point at Aone.

_Kiss me._ He was pretty sure that he was supposed to tap his lips then his cheek, and then point to himself. The problem was that it wasn’t exactly the same everywhere he read, and he was kind of just hoping that any improvising would be clear enough.

He didn’t have the nerve. Instead, he found himself declaring, “I’m short!”

“Yes.” Takanobu was confused.

“You are… significantly less short!”

“Yes.” His confusion became muddled with amusement.

“There’s something I’d like to do, but I don’t think-” Shouyou stretched up on his tiptoes. “-I don’t think I can reach.”

Takanobu wasn’t a man of many words, but he was halfway decent at reading social situations. “Should I lean down?” He offered what he hoped looked like a smile.

“That would help, yes!” Shouyou hoped he wasn’t too eager. Then, a little braver, he attempted it: “Kiss me…please!”

Who was Takanobu to refuse?

 

Takanobu did indeed walk Shouyou to his JSL class on Monday, and he held his hand, as per his request. Shouyou’s professor didn’t notice the single-handed sign, but Moniwa did notice the hand holding. He beamed at the two of them.

“Moniwa-san!” Shouyou gasped when he saw the look that his senpai was giving them.

“I’ve never seen Aone this expressive,” Moniwa replied. “He smiled after your date on Friday.”

“I’ve smiled before,” Takanobu said simply.

“Oh, you have,” Moniwa agreed, “but not like this.”

**Author's Note:**

> I want to write fluffy fics for my favorite ships throughout this month, so like, stay tuned my guys. also, genuinely considering adding more parts to this, but I'm not going to right now because I'm undecided? Who knows


End file.
